


Please come home for Christmas (if not for Christmas, by New Year's night)

by azuko



Series: Atypical Cazzie Fics [4]
Category: Atypical (TV 2017)
Genre: Basically a white Christmas, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Christmas Tree, Christmas in the Gardner household, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Gardner family time, Love, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Snow, True Love, White Christmas, Winter, casey and izzie have finished ucla, extremely fluffy, idk how to tag, set in 2025
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:21:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21877300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azuko/pseuds/azuko
Summary: It is the Christmas of 2025, the first white Christmas in quite some time, and everyone is gathered in the Gardner household for the holidays, celebrating, except Casey and Izzie, who couldn't make it in time from California.Basically a white Christmas family fluff fanfiction, including lots of Cazzie, Paige & Sam, Elsa & Doug and Zahid.
Relationships: Casey Gardner & Izzie, Casey Gardner & Sam Gardner, Casey Gardner/Izzie, Doug Gardner & Elsa Gardner, Sam Gardner & Izzie, Sam Gardner & Paige Hardaway, Sam Gardner/Paige Hardaway
Series: Atypical Cazzie Fics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1539694
Comments: 6
Kudos: 150





	Please come home for Christmas (if not for Christmas, by New Year's night)

**Author's Note:**

> I basically assumed that they start junior year in 2018, so that's how time works in this fic. I fell asleep thinking of this scenario in my head and then I had to write it and my heart melted, so I hope you'll enjoy this holiday fic. I know I said I have more fics in the works but I have been busy with studying and it has been a stressful time, and I have a lot of wips that I wanna stitch together to create a multichapter version of season 4, but writer's block is killing me! 
> 
> For now, enjoy this one shot and I wish you all happy holidays!!

It hadn’t snowed on Christmas day for three or four years, if you didn’t count the stray snowflakes that the wind had carried in the winter of 2023. But it hadn’t snowed properly on Christmas day for quite some time, and none of them could remember the last time they had a white Christmas. But now, after all these years, the snow was covering the sidewalks and the roads, the trees and the rooftops, and the white neighbourhood seemed to glow in broad daylight, giving each one of them that warm feeling that this was what Christmas was supposed to look like. Families gathered around the Christmas tree in the morning, still dressed in their pajamams, with their eyelids halfway closed, smiling and laughing while opening presents, sipping from mugs of hot chocolate, while outside the snowflakes were falling over the trees, the roofs of the houses and the cars. And it was finally such a Christmas in the winter of 2025.

“Honey, why is there a wrapped box in my sock drawer?” Elsa heard Doug shout from upstairs and her eyes widened, rushing up the steps.

“Doug… Oh, honey, I was hiding it!” She entered the room right when Doug was about to unwrap the present to see what it was, and Elsa quickly took it from his hands.

“Santa forgot to put this one under the tree!”

“Wait, but who is it for? I thought all the presents were downstairs…?” He raised his eyebrows, confused, but Elsa was already gone through the door and headed for the living room, where everyone was gathered on the couch. She made her way to the Christmas tree, placing the present next to the other ones, before turning to the three people on the couch.

“Who wants eggs in the hole?”

“No thanks.” Sam said quickly, focusing on the flickering lights of the Christmas tree. He was still dressed in pajamas, which had penguins all over them, because his love of these birds was something that he could never outgrow, not even when he was in his mid twenties. But he wouldn’t have been the same Sam everyone knew if he hadn’t still had his obsession with them. He sat with his back not touching the couch, as straight as he could, and his hand was intertwined with Paige’s, who was cuddled at his left side, nuzzling into his neck. She was wearing a reindeer Christmas sweater over her red plaid patterned pajamas and a Santa beanie, and she shook her head in answer to Elsa’s question.

“I actually ate a few cinnamon rolls a few minutes ago, but thank you, Elsa.”

“So… no egg, no hole…?” She looked hopefully at Zahid, who was trying to get some attention from Sam by mimmicking Paige’s position on the man’s right side, his hair still ruffled from sleeping. “Zahid? You’re my last chance at cooking something for someone this morning.”

“Oh, you got me, Mrs. G. Please, this dragon’s stomach is aching for some eggs.” He rubbed his belly and fixed his glasses, winking to Elsa before she snorted and turned around, saying the food will be ready in 10. It was far from being a quiet morning, mostly with how talkative Zahid was and how he seemed to fight with Paige over who got to hold onto Sam the most, while Sam seemed to be the most uncomfortable of the bunch.

“Homie rules state that a homie needs his homie when getting through a break up, especially during Christmas!” Elsa heard Zahid state, as she shook her head and put the pan over the stove, taking a few eggs out of the fridge, where Zahid’s Special Christmas Meal was taking most of the space. He had insisted on cooking something at home prior to spending the Christmas with the Gardners. It was like, over the past years, he had become a part of the Gardner family, a family that had extended, from just four people, to the impressing number of seven and, sometimes, ten, given the fact that, while Casey and Izzie were at college in California, Izzie’s siblings had been taken care of by their grandma, with help from Doug and Elsa. Paige and Sam had gotten married last year, after an almost one year long engagement. Sam had proposed to Paige on Christmas day in 2023, and the Gardners had never seen him so nervous but happy at the same time before. Casey would have beaten up everyone who dared to say that they saw her cry that day, but the truth was that she couldn’t have helped the tears forming in her eyes from falling.

Compared to the Christmas of 2023, this Christmas may have been whiter, but something was missing. Sam was nervously pulling at his hair, and Paige was trying to calm him down. The atmosphere was shifted. It wasn’t as it should have been. Zahid was trying to put on a smile for the sake of the Gardners, but he was going through a tough break up again, and Sam couldn’t get used to the idea of having to spend Christmas without his sister for the very first time in his life.

“It’s not fair.” He had said the night before, looking at Casey and Izzie’s presents placed under the tree. “It’s a ritual. Christmas is a ritual. They should be here.” He had felt his heartbeat increase, and shortly after, he had started reciting the names of the four Antarctic species of penguins, softly, almost inaudible, while Paige tried to comfort him. The news had shocked everyone. The girls had called to announce that they were spending Christmas in Los Angeles due to a few difficulties, but they hadn’t detailed anything. _“Adelie, Chinstrap, Emperor, Gentoo.”_

Elsa was trying to lift up the spirits, but she had to admit it, spending Christmas without the girls was leaving a hole in her heart too. She had carefully wrapped their presents in the penguin wrapping paper chosen by Sam and had placed them under the tree, as if she could pretend that they were there. She hadn’t seen either of them in a few months. Casey was on her way to the Olympics, winning golden medal after golden medal, sending them all of the articles in which she was mentioned, all of the interviews and race photos and clips at Elsa’s request, and Izzie had made it into a few of the higher class races, although she had also focused on team coordinating and coaching in the past year after they graduated college. She had suffered a few injuries over the years, but it had never seemed to stop her determination and will to keep running. She often called Elsa or facetimed her, the woman becoming her second mom, or the most important motherly figure in her life. Even when she was in a fight with Casey, Elsa was her number one call, her anchor, someone who could really understand her and help her navigate life, being their similar upbringings. Without Casey’s sarcastic comments, Izzie’s heartwarming presence, Elsa felt the shift just as hard as everyone else. A tear formed in her eye, and she rushed to wipe it off before Doug could see, the man entering the kitchen to grab a cinnamon roll and stuff it in his mouth.

“Zahid, your eggs are ready!” She shouted over her shoulder, before she felt Doug’s arms wrap around her waist and his lips press a quick kiss to her cheek, a smile forming on her lips. Zahid rushed into the kitchen and sat at the table.

“Thank you, Mrs. G, you’re a total babe.” He gulped when Doug turned his head and looked at him with a frown, and Elsa chuckled slightly before placing the eggs on a plate. “Uhh,” He started mumbling and stuttering. “I meant, you’re really great! A great sexy momma, how I like to say.” He grinned sheepishly, as Elsa shook her head and placed the plate in front of him. He ran a hand through his dishelved hair before eating, almost absorbing the contents of his plate in a few seconds.

In the living room, Paige noticed Sam’s focused look and how his hand reached for the hair on the back of his head, pulling at it slightly. His eyes were fixed on Casey and Izzie’s presents, and his wife sighed and stroke the back of his hand with her thumb gently.

“Sam…”

“They should be here. It’s not right.”

“I know. But, look…” She smiled at him and tried to cheer him up like she always did, even though she was sometimes getting a little bit too annoying with her cheerful attitude. “Maybe we can facetime them when we open the presents! Or…” She started gesticulating, trying to think of an alternative, but Sam sighed and she slowly put her head on his shoulder, resting her lips to the skin of his neck for a second before giving him a peck. “I’m sorry. I miss them too.” She rested the hand that wasn’t holding Sam’s over her belly, taking in a deep breath.

“I wanted to tell them.” He said, his eyes still fixed on the presents. “Face to face.”

“I know, Sam.”

The snowing seemed to have stopped for the past half an hour, or at least it was slower, on the brink of stopping, the only noise coming from outside being the one from a lonely car crossing the silent neighbourhood. And then, just as the sound of the engine was about to fade out, it stopped, but none of the people in the house paid attention, each of them focused on something else.

Outside, a car parked right in the driveway of the Gardner house, carefully making sure to avoid stopping in a place where anyone sitting in front of the windows would have spotted them in an instant, but almost hitting the front of Doug’s old truck.

“Newton!” Izzie muttered through gritted teeth, trying not to make any loud noises, her eyes widening at the posibility of having bumped into the Gardners’ vehicle. “That’s it, I’m driving next time!”

_“That’s iT, I’m driVing nExT tiMe.”_ Casey stopped the engine and made a stupid face at her, mimmicking her words in a childish manner. Izzie scowled at her and rolled her eyes, muttering something that had to do with the fact that she was dating a child, not a 23 year old woman. “I am not sitting in the passenger seat and letting you drive when you are scared of taking the car out on snowy weather to buy groceries, Iz.” The shorter woman shook her head and opened the car door, careful not to make any loud noises while closing it after her, completely ignoring her girlfriend.

“Come on, Newton.” She whispered, checking Doug’s truck to see if Casey had bumped into it, sighing in relief as she saw that the cars were a few inches apart. Casey almost closed the door too hard, but Izzie stopped her hand just in time to do it more gently without attracting the attention of the entire neighbourhood. “You’re an idiot.”She stopped her to fix her scarf and her jacket before leaning up to peck her cheek. She then took her hand in hers and laced their fingers together, as they both walked to the door and knocked softly.

“Honey?” Doug asked, confused. “Were we expecting someone?” Elsa was just as confused as him, and Zahid and Doug followed her to the living room, where Sam finally looked up from the presents and shifted his focus to the door.

“I don’t think so?” She shrugged and shook her head, trying to think about who could possibly be knocking on their door that early on Christmas, and her eyes widened when she finally opened the door.

“Surprise!!!” The two girls shouted, almost stumbling through the entrance, and the first thing they noticed was the shock spread across everyone’s faces and the warmth of the Gardner home that carried the pleasant smell of oranges, pine and cinnamon, and something that Izzie could not quite figure out what it was yet. Sam stood up almost instantly, racing to the door, almost is if he could not believe his eyes when he saw them, Paige right behind him, and no one could open their mouths to say a thing.

“What… are you guys doing here?” Paige’s face lit up with a smile, as Elsa hugged them both, making Casey groan and fake a disgusted face, although she hugged her mom back, her arm hurting from the way the older woman was gripping her tightly.

“Oh, we’re not wanted? Excuse us then, we’re getting on the next plane to Los Angeles.” She said with a smirk, before looking down at her mother. “Ow, you’re killing us, woman! Ow, damn!” Elsa stepped back and grabbed Casey’s face with her hands, bringing it down to try and shower it with kisses, and the girl let her only place two on her forehead before jokingly pulling away, earning an eye roll from Izzie. “Stop it, mom. Moooom!” She groaned, letting her mom peck her cheek one more time before hugging her dad, as Elsa hugged Izzie tightly.

“She doesn’t want you two to know it, but I saw Mrs. G. wipe away a few tears when I went into the kitchen.” Zahid fake whispered with a smile, making everyone laugh, as Izzie held onto Elsa as tightly as the other woman did. She smiled as they pulled back, as Elsa cupped her face and looked into her eyes. Izzie felt her heart fill up with warmth. It was like any other family reunion. Laughs, wiped tears, hugs that lasted a few seconds too long, because they haven’t seen each other in a few long months. Elsa took it upon herself to fix Casey’s short hair and the snowflakes caught in her curls, even though Casey flinched away and took her jacket off, waiting for Izzie to take off her coat before setting them aside. It had grown a little bit since the last time they saw her, but Casey had kept her hair short for the past three years and a half, when she had decided to give up on her bob haircut. 

Casey stood in front of Sam and smiled at him, seeing her older brother’s eyes light up and his lips slowly, but surely curving into a smile. “Permission to hug my lil’ bro?” She loved to tease him, even though he was older, because he was significantly shorter than her. Sam nodded and she hugged him tightly, her hands wrapping around him as she buried her face in his shoulder, smiling widely. She had missed him. A lot. Truth be told, she always kind of missed him, even though she would never admit it. Even as a teen, when he had moved out with Zahid, she had been down for some time, no longer being able to torment him or move his toothbrush from the bathroom to another part of the house. She smirked during the hug, an idea forming into her head, and she saved it as a mental note to herself to mess with him the next morning, for the sake of their teenage years.

“I hope you didn’t start unwrapping the presents without us.” She stared at her family, deadpan. “We didn’t make the effort of coming all the way from California for you to betray us like that.”

“You both arrived just in time.” Her mom said softly. “We missed you so much that we put your presents under the tree as well.” The girls’ faces lit up, and the family gathered around the tree to hand out the presents, as Zahid stole Paige’s Santa Claus beanie and pretended to be Santa, doing his best at faking an accent. Casey put her arm around Izzie’s shoulders, as the other girl had her arm around the taller woman’s waist, and they went in for a quick, soft kiss.

“It smells amazing in here.” Izzie mentioned, and seeing how Elsa’s face lit up with a smile, it was safe to assume that she was responsible for decorating the house and choosing the scented candles. Izzie finally realised the last two smells she couldn’t distinguish earlier were vanilla and amber. She cuddled into Casey, as Elsa brought them two mugs of hot chocolate, and she felt Casey’s hand reach for hers, stroking it gently with her thumb. She nuzzled into her neck and placed a soft kiss on Casey’s exposed skin, hearing her chuckle, as she looked around at the family that had become, over time, her own. It wasn’t normal in the least, it was the most atypical, but imperfectly perfect family, and the best she could have asked for.

And if time seemed to pass incredibly slow that morning, the rest of the day was a blur, driving from the Gardner home to Izzie’s to spend time with her siblings and grandmother, to catching up with all the people they haven’t seen in a while. Izzie’s eldest sibling, her brother Cameron, was now almost 18 years old and was a senior at Clayton, having followed in Izzie’s footsteps and being on his way to earning a track scholarship at one of the best universities and colleges around. Her sister Megan was 14 and starting Clayton, not on a track scholarship, but thanks to her artistic and writing inclinations, and her youngest sister Lucy was just starting second grade. It was about 6:30 PM when the two women finally had some time to themselves, sitting in the car on their way back to the Gardners for the Christmas dinner, when Izzie noticed Casey had changed directions, turning left instead of right, and she frowned, confused.

“What are you doing?” Casey just looked at her with that half smile of hers, which only made her realize that she had a plan in her head. “Casey, didn’t Elsa’s text say that we had to be back at home before seven? Oh no… I know that smile, Newton.” She looked around, trying to recognize the road, when she finally realised where they were headed to. “No way…”

“Yes way.” She pulled over after another few feet. “So, what do you say… before we go back, you up for a run?” Izzie couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw the building and the place that she knew so well.

“Dressed like this?” She stared deadpan at Casey, still unable to believe they were actually there, as they both got out of the car and stepped outside on the soft layer of snow. The winter air was cold, and steam came out of her mouth as she spoke.

“Three laps. C’mon, at least you’re not wearing heels.” Izzie looked at the building and the empty field, and then a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Clayton Prep was covered by a few layers of snow, and the track field was illuminated by the white lights placed along the empty bleachers. Everything seemed so peaceful, and it felt almost surreal to be back, nostalgia creeping its way into her chest. She nodded in Casey’s direction, but her eyes were fixed on the place. It looked unchanged. Of course, they had visited a few times before to see coach Crowley, but seeing the school grounds at night covered in snow gave them a new perspective over the place. It seemed pulled out of distant memories, like a place blocked in time, and it felt as if they were coming full circle. Like finishing a lap.

“Or one lap, because I’m not that big of a fan of running on snow.” Casey added, pulling Izzie out of her thoughts. Izzie shook her head and laughed, her nose scrunching up and her eyes having that small spark in them that never failed to bring a wide smile on her girlfriend’s face.

“Race you, babe.” She said, quickly turning around and raising herself up on her toes to kiss Casey sweetly on the lips before she took off, running and getting to the track. “You’re slowing down, Newton!” Izzie shouted after her, before starting on her first lap, Casey sprinting through the snow. Thankfully, it wasn’t slippery, and there was no ice on the ground. She remembered the first time they ran together on this track and she chuckled, increasing her speed and catching up with Izzie.

“Careful, I don’t want you to slip and blame me for pushing you, Iz.” She inhaled sharply after she spoke, careful to keep her rhythm and breathing steady, as she heard Izzie snort from behind her.

“Seriously? After all these years, you haven’t let me live this down, huh?” Izzie saw Casey get closer to her and she increased her speed only to spite her, half grinning.

“Well, I didn’t push you!” 

They were now starting on their second lap, and Izzie ran next to Casey, their elbows brushing.

“You did.” She smirked, as Casey faked a shocked face as best as she could, trying to look hurt.

“No, I didn’t! After all these years…You’re still lying about it. You’re a liar, Isabel.” Izzie chuckled, breathing heavily. Suddenly, when they passed by the snow covered bleachers, Casey’s lips curved into a smirk and she lightly pushed Izzie into the snow. What she didn’t expect were the quick reflexes of the other girl, who grabbed Casey’s jacket to steady herself and rotated them, pulling Casey down into the snow and ending up above her, both errupting into a fit of giggles.

“You pushed me.” Izzie insisted, looking into her eyes and threatening to rub snow all over Casey’s face. “Admit it or face a snow shower.” Their faces were a few inches apart, and for a second they both stopped talking, their laughs dying down as they stared at the other’s lips and eyes. They were trying to catch their breaths, panting in the cold winter air, and Casey swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.

“Okay. I admit it. I pushed you… now. Not then.” She whispered, her heartbeat increasing as she looked into her girlfriend’s eyes, wrapping her hands around her and pulling her in. The only sound they could hear was the sound of their hearts pounding in their chests and the soft panting after making the effort to run two laps through the snow, and Izzie slowly leaned in, bumping their noses together. Freckles dotted her face and her rosy cheeks. “I love you.” Casey’s voice was barely audible, and Izzie felt the warmth of her breath on her lips.

“I love you too.” Izzie whispered before slowly placing her cold lips over Casey’s warm ones, moving them against hers, and she sighed softly, feeling Casey’s hand reach up to cup her cheek.

They seemed to have forgotten they were laying in the snow, Izzie on top of Casey, pressing herself to the girl’s body, sharing her warmth, kissing her until she felt like she couldn’t breathe anymore. She tangled one of her hands in Casey’s short, curly hair, like she always did, inhaling her scent. They pulled away for two seconds, breathing in sharply before locking lips again, one of Casey’s hands reaching under Izzie’s coat and pulling at her sweater, bringing her closer and pressing their bodies together, as her knuckles were turning red from the cold. Izzie let out a moan into the kiss and Casey sighed softly in return, bringing one hand up to cup her cheek. When they slowly parted away, she chuckled lightly, running her thumb over Izzie’s lower lip as they both went in for a light peck.

“Babe, we should go. Elsa is probably getting worried.” Izzie said with a soft smile and Casey answered her with a slight nod, letting her get up clumsily. The brunette started shaking off the snow and fixing her clothes, searching for her gloves through her pockets. Her hands were starting to freeze, when she realised Casey hadn’t gotten up. “Come on, Newton.”

“Iz…”

“Yeah? Wait a second, I can’t find my gloves, have you seen them?” She frowned, searching for them for a second time through her pockets with a frown, her back turned to Casey.

“Iz.” Casey’s voice was slightly shaking, almost an inaudible whisper, and if it wouldn’t have been for the cold, her nervousness would have been more noticeable. Casey’s heart was beating like crazy and she felt her throat getting dry as she reached for her jacket’s left pocket. Before she could tell her girlfriend to turn around, Izzie fixed her scarf and looked over her shoulder at her, her eyes instantly widening. The taller woman was down on one knee, a ring box in her hands. Izzie’s hands stopped at her scarf, and she could swear her heart had stopped in her chest at the sight. She slowly turned around to face her, the shock written all over her face, as she brought her hands up to her mouth.

Casey cleared her throat.

“This is the school we met in, seven, almost eight years ago. This is the exact place of our first kiss…” She chuckled nervously, looking around at the snow covered track field. “…seven years ago. When I finally acknowledged my feelings and I realized that I couldn’t stop myself from falling so hard, so deeply and madly in love with you. Falling in love with you was beyond my control. I thought about how loving you made me feel, and I realized that it’s chaotic and good, overwhelming and passionate, solid and warm, wonderful and _right._ Nothing ever felt _this right_ before. And I realized that… loving you feels like _running_. It leaves me _breathless_ , it gives me a rush of adrenaline, it _burns_ deep down in my chest, and all I want to do for the rest of my life is run with you by my side, because…” She took a deep breath, unable to register all of Izzie’s reactions, but she noticed how her eyes had filled up with tears somewhere during her short and overly romantic speech, but she couldn’t help it. She loved her. “Because you are my favourite person in the world. So… Isabel Stewart… will you marry me?”

The seconds of silence that followed felt like forever. Casey looked up at her girlfriend, waiting for an answer. Her heart was beating faster than ever before and she feared that it might just explode in her chest. The sound of it racing was deafening, almost unbearable. It was the only thing she seemed to be able to hear. They hadn’t even noticed that it had started snowing again, a few moments prior to Casey’s speech, and snowflakes were falling around them, tangling into Izzie’s long black wavy hair and getting lost in Casey’s short curls. She looked at how her hair perfectly framed her face, how her hands were red from the cold, covering her mouth, how she was still unable to move or speak, how her wide, beautiful eyes had tears in their corners, and she felt the cold of the snow through her jeans where her knee touched the ground. The silence was finally broken when Izzie was finally able to nod, before removing her hands from her mouth.

“Yes… yes, yes, I will marry you.” Her voice started off as a whisper, before becoming stronger and completely sure with each nod, Casey releasing the breath she hadn’t realised that she had been holding in for the past few seconds. Smiles lit up their faces almost at the same time, as Izzie started wiping the tears from her eyes, still nodding, holding her hand out for Casey. Her fingers were cold, almost freezing, and Casey took her hand in hers, warming it up and placing a tender kiss on the back of it, before taking the ring out of the box and sliding it onto her ring finger. She started to get up, but before she knew it, Izzie was already pulling her up for a kiss, cupping her face with her palms and clashing their lips together with an urgency she had been keeping at bay for the past few seconds. They almost stumbled through the snow, and Casey tried to steady herself, placing an arm around Izzie’s neck to bring her closer, moving her lips against hers, responding to the kiss with the same passion, as Izzie had to tiptoe to not interrupt the kiss. It was fiery, it was passionate, and she started talking in between their quick breaks.

“I…” Their lips met again. “Love you…” Casey lowered her head, letting Izzie’s hands pull at her short hair, while she placed her other hand on her waist, bringing her closer in an embrace, deepening the kiss, forgetting about the need to breathe. Tears were rolling down their faces, melting into the kiss, as Izzie pulled at Casey’s lips with need and desire. Casey opened her mouth, deepening the kiss even more, inhaling the winter air sharply and stumbling backwards until they got to the bleachers. They pulled away to breathe, and then Izzie traced Casey’s jaw with her finger, guiding her chin and leaning in for another sweet, more tender kiss.

When they finally pulled away, they stood with their foreheads pressed together, not ready to let go of the other, their noses brushing, lifting their chins up just a little to be able to steal a few more soft, short kisses. They stood like that, just breathing each other in, whispering “I love you” to each other as it kept snowing around them. Casey finally took Izzie’s hands in hers, stroking them with her thumbs and bringing them to her mouth, blowing hot air over them and placing quick, loving kisses to her cold skin.

“Come on, let’s go. Oh, and yes, I did see your gloves. You left them inside the car.” Casey smiled softly, pecking her fiancée’s lips.

Izzie closed her eyes for a second and placed her head on Casey’s chest, as Casey’s arms wrapped around her tightly. “I love you.” She whispered, burying her face in Casey’s scarf, feeling the taller woman’s lips press against her forehead, giving her a light kiss, and she wondered what had she done to deserve her. She heard Casey whisper an “I love you too” back.

***

It was 7:45 PM when the girls arrived back home, the smell of the food coming from the kitchen making them realize how hungry they were.

“We’re baaack!” Casey shouted through the house after she took off her jacket, helping Izzie with her coat. The girls giggled and Izzie tiptoed to brush the snowflakes out of Casey’s hair with her hands, as the other scrunched up her nose and pretended to flinch away with a soft laugh. They took off their boots and Casey took Izzie’s hand in hers, walking to the kitchen, Casey throwing the keys to the car on the counter. Everyone was gathered around the table and Elsa was just taking the food out of the oven. Izzie wanted to rush to her side to help her, feeling bad that they were an hour late.

“Oh no, sweetie, I got this! You made it back just in time.” Izzie raised her eyebrows, confused.

“Wait, just in time?” She turned to Casey. “I can’t believe you. You told me we had to be back before seven?” She whispered to her, trying not to be heard by everyone else, as she took her hand and pulled her into the living room.

“Well, we had to have a reason to leave early from your siblings.” Casey shrugged.

“Wait, do your parents… know?” Izzie whispered again, quickly glancing at her ring, and Casey shook her head in response.

“It was supposed to be a surprise for, well, everyone.”

Izzie smiled widely, leaning up to peck her lips, a fuzzy, warm feeling still in her chest.

“Well then, we should tell them before they realise that a ring has appeared on my finger.” She chuckled and leaned up for another kiss, when they heard Elsa’s voice coming from the kitchen.

“Come on, girls, dinner is ready! And Paige and Sam want to make an announcment!” The girls frowned in confusion and then giggled.

“Do you know what she’s talking about?” Izzie asked, to which Casey just shrugged her shoulders with a smile.

“I have no idea. Let’s go and see.” They walked back into the kitchen hand in hand and Casey pulled the chair for Izzie to sit, looking at Sam with her eyebrows raised, almost as if she was trying to ask him what the big announcement was. Sam reached for Paige’s hand under the table, and Paige took a deep breath, a smile spreading over her face. Casey filled up her glass with water and sat down, taking Izzie’s hand in hers, and she could barely contain her excitement when she felt the ring wile stroking her future wife’s hand.

“So… Me and Sam are so happy to finally tell you guys this, and especially exactly two years after he proposed to me...” She looked at Sam for a second and stroke his thumb with hers before breaking the news. “I’m pregnant.”

Casey almost spat out her water.

“Oh…my god.” Zahid started saying, as everyone’s eyes went wide, smiles starting to errupt on everyone’s faces. “I’m going to be an uncle!” He shouted, fistbumping the air and standing up. “Yes! Congratulations, Sammy and Paige! You took the D Train to Bonetown and came out with a baby dragon! Or penguin.” He hugged them both from behind, as everyone stood up to congratulate them, Elsa’s eyes filling with tears of happiness.

“It’s a girl.” Sam stated, matter-of-factly. “And no, we’re not taking name suggestions. We’ve already decided on Emilia Gardner-Hardaway.” Casey could barely believe it, while Izzie got up and hugged Paige tightly, congratulating her. She seemed overly excited to become an aunt, and Casey still had to wrap her head around the fact that her brother was a soon-to-be dad.

“Congrats, dude.” Was all that she could articulate while hugging Sam. She was so, so happy for him, for the fact that he had beaten his condition and learned to live with it, and that he was now married and starting a family with the woman he loved, and she couldn’t believe that her and her brother were now all grown up. Sure, they were still young and in their twenties, but she still felt her heart ache in a weird, good way. She was about to get married to the woman she loved, and he was happily married and soon he would have a daughter. She saw Izzie approach her, and when everyone was done with the congratulations, she took her hand and they nodded at each other, thinking it was the appropriate time to make their own announcement. “Well, we’re not trying to steal my brother and Paige’s beautiful moment…”

“But we too have an announcement to make.” Izzie completed the sentence for her as they stared at each other. They giggled when they saw the slow realisation on everyone’s faces, and how they seemed to put together the pieces.

“We just got engaged.” Casey said, a wide smile on her face as she stole glances at Izzie, and it was time for another round of congratulations in the Gardner household.

“What’s with you Gardners and proposing on Christmas day?” Zahid threw his hands in the air but went to hug the girls. “I’m calling best man, you hear me? Ahh, baby Emilia is about to have the best uncle and the best two aunts!” Casey laughed and shook her head, before turning to her parents, who couldn’t articulate a word. Doug tried to hide the tears in his eyes while he hugged Casey tightly, and Elsa embraced both of them, trying not to cry too hard.

“We are so, so happy for all of you.” They said, looking at their kids and their partners before looking at each other. They hadn’t been perfect parents, but they were the parents that their kids needed. “We did a good job, Doug, huh?”

“Yeah, we did.” He said and he turned to her, leaning down to give her a kiss, before everyone sat down at the table for dinner. It was still snowing outside, covering the roads in yet another layer of snow. It was going to be a white and cold winter, but in the Gardner home it was warm, filled with laughs and smiles.

That night, when the two women were wrapped around each other in Casey’s old bed in her room, Casey was tracing lines with her finger over Izzie’s shoulder, connecting her freckles, making her fiancée shiver under her touch. She leaned in and kissed her bare skin, breathing in her scent and closing her eyes. She couldn’t believe that she was going to be her wife. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had always known it, she dreamed of it, it was her greatest wish, because their love was a love worth holding onto.

“I love you, Iz.” She whispered it against her skin, and Izzie felt chills rushing through her body at the words as if it was the first time she had heard them from her mouth. She distinguished the shape of the ring in the dark. She was about to marry her best friend, her lover, her anchor.

“I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I know Izzie's last name is not original AT ALL. Bear with me. =)))) 
> 
> Maybe leave a comment, I'd love to hear you guys' thoughts on this, and thank you for reading! Merry Christmassss


End file.
